Of his virtue it is a fufficient teftimony, that the refentment of party has tranfmitted no charge of any crime. He was not one of those who are praised only after death; for his merit was fo generally acknowledged, that Swift, having obferved that his election. paffed without a conteft, adds, that, if he proposed himself for king, he would hardly have been refufed.

His zeal for his party did not extinguish his kindness for the merit of his opponents: when he was fecretary in Ireland, he refused to intermit his acquaintance with Swift.

Of his habits, or external manners, nothing is fo often mentioned as that timorous or fullen taciturnity, which his friends called modesty by too mild a name. Steele mentions with great tenderness" that remark"able bashfulness, which is a cloak that "hides and muffles merit;" and tells us, that his abilities were covered only by

modefty, which doubles the beauties which

are feen, and gives credit and esteem to all "that are concealed." Chesterfield affirms, that "Addison was the most timorous and "aukward

aukward man that he ever faw." And Ad difon, fpeaking of his own deficience in converfation, used to fay of himfelf, that, with refpect to intellectual wealth," he could "draw bills for a thousand pounds, though ❝he had not a guinea in his pocket."

That he wanted current coin for ready payment, and by that want was often obftructed and diftreffed; that he was often oppreffed by an improper and ungraceful timidity; every teftimony concurs to prove : but Chesterfield's reprefentation is doubtlefs hyperbolical. That man cannot be supposed very unexpert in the arts of converfation and practice of life, who without fortune or alliance, by his usefulness and dexterity, became fecretary of state; and who died at forty-feven, after having not only ftood long in the highest rank of wit and literature, but filled one of the most important offices of ftate.

The time in which he lived had reafon to lament his obftinacy of filence: "for he "was," fays Steele, "above all men in that "talent called humour, and enjoyed it in

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"fuch perfection, that I have often reflected, "after a night spent with him apart from all "the world, that I had had the pleasure of <converfing with an intimate acquaintance "of Terence and Catullus, who had all their "wit and nature, heightened with humour more exquifite and delightful than any "other man ever poffeffed." This is the fondness of a friend; let us hear what is told us by a rival: "Addifon's converfation*," fays Pope, "had fomething in it more charm"ing than I have found in any other man, "But this was only when familiar: before "ftrangers, or perhaps a fingle ftranger, he "preferved his dignity by a stiff filence.'

This modefty was by no means inconfiftent with a very high opinion of his own merit. He demanded to be the first name in modern wit; and, with Steele to echo him, used to depreciate Dryden, whom Pope and Congreve defended against them†. There is no reason to doubt that he suffered too much pain from the prevalence of Pope's poetical reputation; nor is it without ftrong reafon

neder bad sd god
* Spence. † Tonfon and

28

suspected,

fufpected, that by fome difingenuous acts he endeavoured to obftruct it; Pope was not the only man whom he infidiously injured, though the only man of whom he could be afraid. ad oder

His own powers were fuch as might have fatisfied him with confcious excellence.Of very extenfive learning he has indeed given no proofs. He feems to have had small acquaintance with the fciences, and to have read little except Latin and French; but of the Latin poets his Dialogues on Medals fhew that he had perufed the works with great diligence and kill. The abundance of his own mind left him little indeed of adventitious fentiments; his wit always could fuggeft what the occafion demanded. He had read with critical eyes the important volume of human life, and knew the heart of man from the depths of ftratagem to the furface of affectation.

What he knew he could eafily communicate. "This," fays Steele, was particular "in this writer, that, when he had taken "his refolution, or made his plan for what

"he

"he defigned to write, he would walk about "a room, and dictate it into language with as "much freedom and ease as any one could "write it down, and attend to the coherence "and grammar of what he dictated."

Pope*, who can be lefs fufpected of favouring his memory, declares that he wrote very fluently, but was flow and scrupulous in correcting; that many of his Spectators were written very fast, and fent immediately to the press; and that it seemed to be for his advantage not to have time for much revifal.

"He would alter," fays Pope, "any thing "to please his friends, before publication; "but would not retouch his pieces after"wards; and I believe not one word in

Cato, to which I made an objection, was "fuffered to stand."

The laft line of Cato is Pope's, having been originally written

And, oh! 'twas this that ended Cato's life.

*Spence,

Pope